When Johnny Falls in Love
by bobascousin90210
Summary: Reed's old friend returns for a visit and she helps Johnny realize that there is more to life than being the center of attention. Johnny/OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"Thank you for flying Southwest Airlines," the kind voice of the flight attendant said over the intercom. "We hope you enjoyed your trip. Come see us again!" You could hear the overenthusiastic smile in her voice. It made Jessica feel sick to her stomach after her six-hour flight to New York. Jessica could have sworn that the overweight man who sat next to her had snored for the entire flight, except for the few moments in which he awoke to eat his (and Jessica's) peanuts. She was not in a good mood at all.

The only thing that cheered her up was thinking that she would soon be reunited with a childhood friend. Reed Richards and Jessica Owens had been neighbors and good friends all through high school, until he graduated and went to college out of state and they lost touch. Now he was getting married, and she knew she would never forgive herself if she missed the wedding. Besides, who could ignore a personal invitation from Reed Richards?

So, it was for that reason that Jessica squeezed past the overweight man, causing him to startle awake and frantically demand to know where he was. Jessica simply smiled and shrugged as she yanked her backpack out of the overhead storage, put on her sunglasses, even though the sun was already setting, and made her way to the terminal. She collected her luggage, but after this she was not quite sure what to do. Was Reed sending someone to meet her? Should she rent a car? Should she call a cab? Jessica knew she should have planned this out ahead of time, but she had apparently forgotten this detail as she was caught up in the excitement of being reunited with Reed. However, Jessica was known to get worried and stressed easily, and this fact was quite apparent at this particular moment. You could blame it on her tough childhood, or the fact that she had run out of Midol, but her emotions were quite fragile. She had realized in recent years that she was extremely prone to fainting, and she was particularly afraid that she may faint in the middle of JFK International Airport.

Jessica was supposed to be at Reed's house in thirty minutes, and she knew that she could not procrastinate her decision any longer. So, she finally decided to rent a car. The process didn't take as long as she had anticipated, and she was soon ready to load up her bags and be on her way to her hotel. Once she had loaded her luggage into the car, Jessica realized that she had extra time to kill, and decided to grab a cup of coffee. She parked her rental car on the curb, walked to the Starbucks on the corner, and asked the nice young man for a grande mocha latte. As she waited for her drink to be made, she looked around. A particularly handsome man who was walking toward the door happened to catch her eye. She almost smiled, but then he winked and she immediately looked away. "Never trust a wink-er," she whispered under her breath.

"Jessica," the barista called.

She collected her drink, added some sugar and walked out the door, heading to the place where she had parked her car at the curb. She was taking her first sip when a man walked straight into her. She let out a small shriek and swung her arms out and hit the man square in the stomach, spilling her coffee and dropping the cup and her purse in the process. She turned to give the man a piece of her mind, but was surprised when she found that it was the man who had winked at her moments before.

"I'm really sorry," he said. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." He began to bend down to pick up her purse, but Jessica beat him to it.

"No problem," Jessica said, even though she had hot coffee dripping down one arm. He had some coffee dripping down the front of his shirt, as well. "I'm sorry about your shirt," she said. "It was a reflex."

"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling as he reached down and picked up the empty cup on the ground. He extended his hand to help her up. "Listen, I'm sorry about your drink. Why don't you let me buy you another one," he offered, as he took a step toward the door.

"Actually, I should be going," Jessica said, ignoring his outstretched hand and lifting herself up off the ground on her own. "Thank you, though."

"Well, I hope I'll see you again sometime," he said.

Jessica nodded as she opened her car door and began to step in.

"What's your name?" He yelled after her.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the door. "Jessica," she said with a smile.

He smiled. "I'm glad we ran into each other, Jessica."

"Me too," Jessica agreed, finally getting into her car. She noticed that the man was staring after her, watching her car drive away. She couldn't help but think that he would have seemed very creepy if he wasn't so charming. She could still see him in her rear view mirror until a flower delivery truck got behind her in traffic, hiding him from view. She began to regret that she hadn't asked for his name, as well as her choice to leave and not let him buy her another coffee, but Jessica was already late. And besides, she would never see him again anyway.

Johnny was aware of how creepy he looked, standing there, staring after a girl he had only just met, but he couldn't explain it. Jessica. He repeated her name in his mind. Jessica. When a flower delivery truck pulled behind her car and hid her from view, he pulled himself away. He didn't have time to get his own coffee now. Sue would be very angry if he was late to meet Reed's friend who was coming to town, and he knew he needed to get back to the Baxter Building. Usually, he hated to "flame on" when he was dressed and not wearing his uniform, but he figured it didn't matter much since his shirt was stained now. He went into an alley way, climbed up a fire escape and onto a roof.

"Flame On!" He shouted. As he flew away, hoping he wouldn't be late, he couldn't help but think about Jessica.

Jessica knew she should check in at her hotel before she went to Reed's so that she could change her shirt, but she was late enough as it was. She was lucky that she had decided to pay extra for her rental and get a GPS, because she would have gotten hopelessly lost without it. It took a while, but she finally found the Baxter Building. When she entered, she was greeted by the doorman, led to the elevator, and finally to Reed's apartment.

She knocked timidly on the door and Reed answered.

"Jessica! You're here!" he exclaimed as he motioned her in.

"Hey, Reed," Jessica smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well," Reed smiled as he pulled her into a hug. Jessica could hear two more sets of footsteps coming down the stairs. "Well," Reed smiled as he introduced her to his friends, who had joined them and were standing behind Reed. "This is Sue, my fiancée," he said as he motioned to his left.

"Hello," Jessica said as Sue reached out her hand.

"Sue Storm," she smiled and looked at Reed, "soon to be Richards."

"Right…" Jessica smiled. She probably seemed rude, but she was a little distracted by the fact that the man standing behind Sue looked awfully familiar. "So when's the…big day?" Jessica asked.

"Just a few weeks now," Reed answered. He then noticed her gaze fixed behind him, and said, "Jess, this is Sue's brother, Johnny."

"Hi, Jessica," Johnny answered. He reached out to shake her hand.

"Hey," Jessica smiled.

"Are you thirsty? We have some coffee brewing in the kitchen," Johnny smiled and gave her a knowing look.

Jessica laughed, "I think I've had enough coffee for one day."

Reed and Sue glanced at each other. "Do you two know each other?" Reed asked.

Johnny looked down and realized he was still shaking her hand. He glanced at Jessica, "We bumped into each other earlier today," he said. Jessica giggled.

With that, Jessica looked at her wrist, pretending to check the time, even though she didn't wear a watch. "Well, I guess I'll go on to the hotel. I just dropped in to say hello," she said, beginning to head towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Jessica, wait," Reed stretched out his arm to grab Jessica's shoulder from where he was standing. "Why don't you stay here?" He suggested.

Jessica turned around slowly. "Really?" She asked.

"Definitely, I mean, we haven't talked since I graduated. We can catch up. And I'm sure no one else will mind," he said, glancing towards Sue.

"No," Sue said. "You should definitely stay. I need another girl around with all this wedding planning to do," she said with a smile to Reed. "What about you, Johnny?"

Jessica was startled when she turned toward Johnny and realized that his steely gaze was on her, as if he was studying her, trying to solve some kind of riddle. "Whatever," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"See, no problem," Reed said. He looked around again, "Have you all seen Ben?"

"Ben?" Jessica asked.

Just then, Jessica heard heavy footsteps coming from the kitchen. "Did someone say my name?" came a gravely voice.

Reed motioned for him to join them. "Yeah, Ben. This is my friend from high school, Jessica. She's here for a visit. She was going to stay here if you don't mind."

"Oh, sure. She looks nice enough," Ben smiled. "I'm Ben Grimm."

"Hi," Jessica said with a smile, which she was sure looked forced. Ben was a very intimidating in person.

Ben shook Jessica's hand. She was sure he could have crushed her, but he was surprisingly gentle.

Reed smiled. "Johnny, why don't you help Jessica bring her things up from her car?"

"Sure," Johnny said as he walked coolly towards the door.

Jessica followed him. They entered the elevator and Johnny pushed the button that took them to the parking garage. As the elevator began it's descent, she could feel his eyes on her. She turned her head toward him and his head snapped forward. She smiled sarcastically, but continued to watch him. He turned her way and she immediately moved her head back forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him smile. He had a charming smile.

Jessica decided to break the silence, "So, all four of you live here?"

"Yep. We're just one big, happy family," Johnny said with a sarcastic tone and a smile. "What about you?" He asked. "Where do you live?"

"Los Angeles, California," Jessica answered.

He nodded. "What do you do out there?" he asked. She was surprised to see such an interested look on his face.

"I'm an actress," Jessica said with a smile.

"An actress?" he asked.

"Yeah. I've only done small plays so far, but I moved there to get a chance to be in films."

"Oh." He said.

The ding of the elevator broke their conversation and they exited. She led him to her rental car and opened the trunk to reveal her suitcase and bag.

"A light packer, huh?" Johnny commented with a smile as he held up both of the bags with one hand.

Jessica smiled as she closed and locked the trunk and walked toward the front door. "You can go on," She said as she unlocked and opened the front door. "I just need to grab one more thing and I'll be right there."

Johnny nodded. "Okay. I'll hold the elevator." Johnny said as he walked towards the door, both of her bags in one hand, slung over his shoulder. He walked away cooly, but as soon as he was out of her sight he dropped the bags. "Ouch," he muttered to himself as he stretched out his hand. "Those were heavy," he said as he picked the bags back up, in separate hands this time. Once he reached the elevator, he set down the bags. He had a strange feeling in his stomach that he couldn't explain. Confused, he decided to walk back towards Jessica's car to see what was taking her so long.

As Jessica reached for her purse and backpack, a shadow fell over the car. She turned around slowly to see a large man. His face was covered, and he wore a long coat. She gasped as she saw that he was holding a gun.

In a scratchy voice he said, "Gimme the purse."

She was too nervous to speak. She heard the resounding click of a loading gun. She shook as she saw the man begin to squeeze the trigger. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Johnny come her way from the direction of the elevators. He looked worried and confused, wondering what to do. His heart raced with fear that Jessica was in trouble. Just as the man pulled the trigger, Jessica heard a shout from Johnny's direction.

"Flame On!"

Jessica dropped to the floor to dodge the bullet, her head hitting the icy concrete. Johnny wrestled the man to the ground, and she could feel a bullet whiz over her, barely missing. She heard a struggle as Johnny twisted the gun out of the man's hand, kicked it away, and then maneuvered the man into a sleeper hold, rendering him unconscious. At that moment, Jessica realized excruciating pain in her skull as she began to see the black closing in on her vision from either side. The last thing she remembered was Johnny crouching at her side and placing a warm hand on her cheek.

"Jessica," He whispered. "I'm here. It's going to be okay."

His voice seemed to echo in Jessica's ears as reality slipped away and she finally fainted.

When Jessica awoke, she was in a bedroom at the Baxter Building. She blinked and rubbed her eyes as she tried to sit up.

Johnny was sitting in a chair pulled up next to her bed. He looked up when he heard her movement, "Hey, you're awake." He smiled and Jessica was surprised to see he looked genuinely happy.

"What happened?" Jessica asked, still groggy from the ordeal.

"You blacked out when you hit your head on the ground in the parking garage," Johnny answered.

"Oh, yeah," Jessica said. With a smile she added, "Thanks for that."

"For what?" Johnny wondered.

"For saving my life," Jessica replied sincerely. She smiled. She had always wanted to say that for some reason.

"Oh," he smiled. "Well, are you hungry? Do you want some breakfast?" Johnny asked.

"I could actually go for some coffee," Jessica answered.

Johnny laughed. "How about McDonald's?" He suggested.

Jessica nodded and Johnny left so she could get ready. Johnny stood outside the door for a moment, his stomach in knots. It was a feeling that Johnny had never felt before. The only way he could describe it was that it felt like millions of butterflies were fluttering around inside of his body. He couldn't place where the feeling was coming from, but a part of him felt, though he didn't want to admit it, like there were butterflies not in his stomach, but in his heart.

**A/N: Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Jessica sighed. Why was Johnny Storm being so nice? Not only had he saved her from the mugger, but he had sat with her until she woke up, and now he was buying her breakfast. She new that she was a guest and all, but there seemed to be something more behind Johnny's actions than plain old hospitality. She couldn't help but admit that he was definitely growing on her.

Remembering that Johnny was waiting on her, she looked around the room for her bags. Her suitcase was on the ground at the foot of the bed. She slipped into some comfy jeans and a casual shirt, fixed her hair, and put on a little bit of make up. Then, she opened her door and found Johnny waiting right outside.

He smiled, "You look nice."

Jessica blushed, "For someone that just woke up from a fainting spell? Thanks."

Johnny laughed as he said, "Let's go,"

Jessica followed him out the door and to the elevator. This time, when he stared at her in the elevator and she turned to him, he didn't look away. He just smiled.

When they stepped out of the elevator, he led her to his red convertible sports car. When they sat down, he began the conversation as he pulled out into the busy streets, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Fine. I have a little headache, but I'll be okay. What about you? You look tired," Jessica wondered.

"Oh," Johnny stumbled for words. "I didn't sleep very well at all last night."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jessica gave him a knowing smile.

"Well I was supposed to walk you to your car to get your suitcase, I turned my back for two seconds, and you got attacked by a mugger. You ended up passing out and the whole thing was pretty much my fault," Johnny said.

Jessica had never seen Johnny speak with so much emotion before. "It's fine, Johnny. I'm fine."

"It might not have been fine! What if I hadn't come back? What if I got on the elevator like you said? What if you… well what if."

"What if I what?" Jessica interrupted.

"Never mind. Let's talk about something else," Johnny suggested.

Jessica tried to lighten the mood by telling him stories about herself and Reed when they were growing up. She told him about all of the stupid stuff they did, how funny Reed was, and many other stories from their days in high school. When she told him about the time that they had forked their neighbor's yard, Johnny burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Jessica asked.

"I just can't picture Reed being so fun," Johnny answered through chuckles.

"Why is that so strange?" Jessica asked.

Johnny gave her a look. "I don't think I've ever even heard of him telling a joke, much less forking someone's yard." Johnny answered with a laugh.

Then, they pulled up to McDonald's, and once they were inside, Johnny ordered pancakes and coffee for both of them.

"Is that okay with you?" Johnny asked.

"That's what I always order!" Jessica said as she pulled her wallet out of her purse.

"Don't worry about it," Johnny said as he pulled out his wallet. "This one is on me. I owe you," He said with a smile.

Jessica returned the smile. She couldn't object when he was so charming. Johnny picked up the tray and took it to a table. They sat down across from each other in a booth, and Jessica quietly picked at her pancake as Johnny quickly gobbled down his.

"Are you gonna eat that?" He asked her through a mouthful, pointing at her second pancake with his fork. She shook her head with a smile and he picked up the pancake with his fork as she sipped on her coffee.

As she began nibbling on her remaining pancake again, she crinkled her nose as if she smelled something.

"What is it?" Johnny asked.

"Do you smell that?" She asked.

"Smell what?" Johnny asked as he tried to subtly smell his shirt. He hadn't changed his shirt this morning but he didn't think it was a big deal.

"It smells like smoke," Jessica answered.

Johnny sniffed the air. "Come on," he said urgently as he quickly got up and moved toward the door. She grabbed her purse and followed him.

"Everybody out!" Johnny shouted.

Jessica ran out the door with the crowd that was now evacuating, but when she turned around, Johnny wasn't there. "Johnny?" She shouted. "Johnny!" She listened and she could hear his voice from inside the building. "Stay low! Stay low!" He shouted as he tried to guide two children out of the building. People were running frantically, coughing, and shouting for their loved ones.

"Johnny!" Jessica shouted. She hated waiting outside while Johnny was inside risking his life for others.

Johnny came out the door with two small girls. Their mother came running and he handed them to her.

"Johnny!" Jessica shouted again.

Johnny came over to her, "Are you okay?" He asked, brushing her cheek with his fingertips.

"Yeah I'm fine," she answered.

"We need to get these people back," Johnny said. "Everyone back up! The Fire Department will be here soon."

"My baby is still in there!" A woman shouted.

Johnny looked toward the building, then to Jessica. "Get back, you'll be safe," he said.

"You can't go back in there!" Jessica shouted.

"I have to!" Johnny said as he ran back towards the door. "Get people away from the building!"

Jessica turned around. "Everyone get on the sidewalk!" She shouted. She turned back towards the building. She could see the fire spreading. It was about to cover the front exit. How was Johnny going to get out? She ran towards the building. "Johnny! Johnny!" She shouted. She was almost to the door when a large explosion came from inside.

Jessica dropped to the floor from the power of the explosion. Her head took a hard hit to the floor. "Johnny? Johnny?" She whispered as the black yet again began to close in on her vision. She could hear the siren of the fire engine as she laid there, wishing she could get up and find Johnny. The last thing she remembered was the sight of 3 firefighters crowding around her and carrying her to safety. But where was Johnny? The only face that Jessica wanted to see at this moment was Johnny's. Where was he? It was then, as she wondered and worried as she was about to lose consciousness that she realized.

She loved him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Jessica woke up in her bed once again, not quite sure how she got there. She opened her eyes and saw Johnny sitting on the side of her bed.

"You have got to stop doing that," said a smiling Johnny.

"Johnny! You're okay!" She grabbed him and wrapped her arms around him. "You were inside the building when it exploded! I thought you were hurt!" Jessica didn't know why she was becoming so hysterical. She had even begun to shed tears.

Johnny cradled her head in his arms, holding her close. "Jessica, I'm fine. I'm a superhero, remember? I survived a cosmic explosion in outer space that explosion was like a walk in the park," he said with a smirk. "You, on the other hand, are the one we need to worry about," he said as he gazed into her eyes and tucked her bangs behind her ear. Jessica smiled.

"Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?" Johnny asked.

"That would be nice," Jessica answered, trying not to seem too eager, as her stomach growled.

He smiled, "Okay," He looked at her for a moment and then concluded, "Let's just eat in the kitchen this time. That should be safe enough," He smiled.

Jessica laughed sarcastically as she stood up to follow Johnny to the kitchen.

Ben was sitting at the kitchen table eating out of a bowl of cubed fruit and reading the newspaper when Johnny and Jessica walked in.

Johnny acted surprised at the sight of Ben and jumped back and slammed one of his palms to his eyes and the other across Jessica's. "Look away!" He shouted as if he were in pain.

"Morning sunshine," He answered without looking up, as if he hadn't heard Johnny at all. Then his tone turned darker, "See this fruit?" He stabbed it hard with his fork, "That could have been your head." He laughed a gravely yet playful laugh.

Johnny smiled, "Aw, come on, Big Guy, you wouldn't do such a thing in front of the lady, would you?" He asked as he put his arm around Jessica's shoulder.

Ben laughed, "Of course not. Well if you all are looking for some breakfast, there's nothing good around here. Sue and Reed just went grocery shopping. They should be back in about an hour but-"

Jessica's stomach growled violently at the thought of waiting another hour for breakfast, interrupting Ben.

"If you're that hungry," Ben continued. "It shouldn't be too hard to find a hot dog stand in the middle of New York City."

Johnny turned and began walking out. "That sounds good. You coming, Jessica?" He asked over his shoulder. He stopped and turned back around to face Jessica to hear her reply.

She nodded. "Thanks, Ben," Jessica said politely as she walked toward Johnny. "I'll see you around."

She followed Johnny out the door and joined him in the elevator. When they walked out onto the busy streets of New York City, just as Ben had predicted, it took all of ten seconds walking down the block before they came across a hot dog cart. As they walked toward it, they passed a magazine stand. There were several tabloids, but one headline attracted Jessica's attention the most. It said: Super Hero in Love? In large, bold letters next to a blurry picture of Johnny and Jessica from yesterday at McDonald's. It appeared as if the picture had been taken through the leaves of a bush. She picked up the magazine and turned it to the page about her and Johnny. It said:

"The Fantastic 4's Human Torch (Johnny Storm) was seen with a mysterious woman at a McDonald's. When the gas grill combusted and caught the entire building on fire, only after she was safely out of the building did he return for the other civilians. Why was he so concerned with her safety? Could it be that our self-proclaimed 'Ladies Man' super hero is in love?"

She couldn't read any more. She turned around to see that Johnny had been reading over her shoulder.

"Those reporters always blow little things like that out of proportion," Johnny said, not sounding convinced, himself.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," She answered, even thought she didn't. She turned around and closed the magazine, returning it to the rack. When she faced Johnny again, his intense gaze was on her and she quickly turned toward the ground and awkwardly ran her hands through her hair.

"Oh no," Johnny said as he was looking out into the distance.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just…" Johnny sighed. "Someone is here that I don't really want to see. She's coming this way…" He grabbed Jessica's shoulder. "Follow me."

Jessica nodded and followed him as he left the magazine stand and entered an ice cream shop. He ordered some ice cream for both of them. Johnny constantly glanced over his shoulder, making Jessica wonder what he was so worried about. Johnny led her to a booth and she followed. She knew she would find out what was going on soon enough.

**A/N: Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As Johnny sat down, the ice cream was already melting down Johnny's arm. Jessica laughed hysterically as she watched Johnny lick the drips that were, by the time they sat down in their booth, dripping down almost the entire length of his arm.

"I'll get you some napkins," Jessica suggested through giggles.

"Great, thanks," Johnny answered as he held the cone up over his tongue to catch the dripping ice cream from the bottom.

She turned and walked toward the front counter when all of a sudden a woman behind her broke out into hyena-like laughter. She turned around to see a tall blond woman talking on her cell phone. She was wearing white sunglasses, an expensive looking suit and the tallest heels that Jessica had ever seen.

"Oh, Robert! You are so funny. Hold on, I have a call on my other line," She pressed a button on her cell phone and began speaking again. "Hey, Kristen! Sorry, I can't talk right now; I have Mr. Downey Jr. on the other line. Sure! I can pencil you in," She took out a book and spoke quietly to herself, "Coffee with Kristen Stewart at seven- thirty. Okay, bye Kristen." She quickly pressed the button again and answered, "Robert? I'm gonna have to let you go…. Sure, I'd love to have dinner…Sorry, I'm shopping with J Lo then…. Nope… Next Friday should be fine. Ciao!" She hung up and put her phone into her designer bag. She removed her sunglasses and looked at Johnny. "Johnny!" She exclaimed.

Johnny had continued to lick at his melting ice cream. By now his face was covered with chocolate.

"Johnny?" She asked again as she walked toward him.

Johnny looked her way with a confused look on his face.

"Are you talking to me?" He asked as he pointed to himself with a sticky finger.

"Come on, Johnny. It's me! Courtney Bishop!"

Jessica hurried to Johnny's side with napkins. "I'm back."

Johnny smiled and took a napkin, "Thanks, babe," He wiped off his face and kissed the top of Jessica's forehead. "You are always taking care of me," he smiled. "What would I do with out you? You're the best."

Jessica smiled. "Oh, who is this, sweetheart?" Jessica asked, playing along with Johnny, as if she was just now noticing Courtney.

"I'm not quite sure, sugar," He said. "She said her name was Courtney," He shrugged.

"Right," Courtney said sarcastically. "We dated for a whole month. You can't say you don't remember me."

"Sorry," Johnny shrugged. "Do you want me to sign a picture for you or something?"

Courtney grunted exasperatedly as she stormed off, her heels making a violent noise on the linoleum floor.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Johnny whispered.

Jessica and Johnny both laughed uncontrollably as they watched her be mowed down by a pack of bikers as she tried to cross the street. When she stood back up, her hair was a mess, one of her heels was broken, and Jessica and Johnny got a little bit too much entertainment out of watching her limp down the sidewalk until she was out of their view.

"Who was that?" Jessica asked.

"Oh, nobody. We dated for a little while but, you saw her. I told her that I couldn't see her any more because I was moving to Antarctica."

"And she bought that?" Jessica asked with a giggle.

Johnny smiled. "She isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer," they both laughed. "Anyway," Johnny said, "She's not my type."

"Oh, she's not?" Jessica smiled. "And what is your type?"

Johnny laughed. "I don't know. These days I'm kind of into pretty Californians who have a problem fainting all the time," Johnny said jokingly.

"Is that so?" Jessica laughed. "I think I might know someone that you would get along with then."

Johnny laughed. "I don't do blind dates. You should eat your ice cream."

Jessica looked down to see that her ice cream was dripping all the way down her arm and was pooling on the table. She giggled and began to eat her cone messily, while Johnny gobbled the remainder of his cone in two bites.

She knew that they were just playing around, but she couldn't quite tell if he was completely joking or not. Maybe she just hoped that a part of him was serious. She shouldn't fall for him. Johnny is so cocky. He thinks he could get any girl. But here she was, falling for him. And a part of her didn't mind one bit.

Johnny hoped that he hadn't taken the jokes too far. He hoped that she didn't catch on to his true feelings. He was joking, but a part of him wondered if it was the truth. He had never felt the way he was feeling before. He had never had serious feelings for a girl before. And the truth was, it scared him.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks so much for your reviews and ideas. I tried to incorporate a couple of them. Here's the next chapter!

**Disclaimer- (dis-KLAY-mer), noun, 1. The act of disclaiming; the renouncing, repudiating, or denying of claim; disavowal. 2. A person who disclaims. 3. A statement, document, or assertion that disclaims responsibility, affiliation, etc.; disavowal; denial.**

**Chapter 5**

_Tonight. _Johnny thought. _I'll tell her tonight. _Johnny glanced in the mirror before he walked out of his room. He fluffed his hair and sprayed himself with some Axe before walking into the hallway toward Jessica's room. He could hear her voice on the phone from outside the door. What was she saying? Johnny pressed his ear against the door.

"I don't know, Claire…No, I don't like him like that…Absolutely positive… Besides, it's not like I have a chance with _Johnny Storm_ anyway." Jessica's voice argued. Johnny couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"No! I do not like him like that!" She practically screamed. Johnny was heartbroken. Jessica was the first woman he loved, and now he heard her yelling at her friend that she didn't even like him? This was the first time that he had even been interested in a serious relationship, and he was rejected before he even officially asked her out on a date. He leaned against the wall and slowly slid down, sitting in the hallway across from her door, so upset he was shaking. He laid his head on his knees, not even able to stand and go back to his room.

******

"Bye, Claire," Jessica hung up the phone. She sighed exhaustedly. It wasn't easy trying to deny the fact that Johnny was the man of her dreams, especially where her best friend, Claire, was concerned. She decided that she was going to go talk to Johnny about it. _Now or never. _She thought as she glanced in the mirror, fluffed her hair, and sprayed herself with a little bit of perfume before she left for Johnny's room.

Her heart pounded in her chest, she was so nervous. She slowly turned her doorknob...

******

Johnny heard Jessica's doorknob begin to turn. _Aw crap. _He thought as he wiped his face quickly with his hands.

Jessica stepped into the hall, "Oh! Johnny!" She paused, a confused look now emerging on her face. "What are you doing out here?"

Johnny smirked, _Well… this is embarrassing. _He thought. "Well, I wanted to talk to you, but I heard you on your phone so I decided to wait out here…."

"That's funny," Jessica smiled awkwardly. "I was just coming to talk to you…."

"Well… here we are…" Johnny said.

Jessica nodded. "Yeah…"

Johnny stood up. "Follow me."

Jessica nodded and went after Johnny outside to the balcony. For a moment he just leaned against the railing and stared down at the cars and all of the activity below them. The wind whipped Jessica's hair gracefully around her face.

"Jessica…." Johnny began as he slowly lifted his gaze from the streets to meet hers. "So I heard you on your phone with your friend just then…"

"Look, Johnny, I can explain," Jessica began to protest. She knew where he was going with this.

"Good, Jessica. I'd love to hear you explain," His voice seemed to begin getting louder and louder and Jessica noticed a vein popping out in his neck. "Why don't we start with why you led me on the past few days?" He was gesturing wildly with his arms, causing Jessica to take a step back away from him. "Jessica, if you didn't like me, you should have just said so, not let me go on and make a fool of myself and ..." He began to trail off and took short breaths between his words. "And let me…fall…in…" The confused and fearful look on her face made his heart sink to the very pit of his stomach. He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

"Let you what?" She asked as a smile crossed her face.

"Nothing," he said as he dropped his gaze from hers a little, embarrassed. "I have to go," Johnny said quickly as he turned from her and ran back inside.

Jessica sighed. She wasn't quite sure why he was angry, but she didn't want to give him a reason to be even madder. She just frowned and watched him grab his leather jacket and take the stairs to the parking garage, slamming the door behind him.

She stayed outside for a while and watched the cars pass under her, when she heard the unmistakable roar of Johnny's car coming from somewhere on the streets. It had been about ten minutes and thinking about what had just happened with Johnny made her throat suddenly get very dry, so she decided to go inside and get a drink of water from the kitchen.

Inside, Sue was sitting quietly at the kitchen table, flipping through wedding magazines. Reed and Ben also sat at the table, but they were both about to fall asleep.

"What do you think of this one, Reed?" Sue asked, showing him a picture of a cake.

Reed barely looked at the picture before answering, "I think it looks good. But, you know that my mother wants us to have a chocolate cake."

"Oh, right," A pout formed on Sue's face. "But they only offer this cake in vanilla." Sue said disappointedly. Then she noticed Jessica grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge. "Hey, Jessica, did you see Johnny hurry out of here a minute ago?" She asked before going back to flipping through her magazine.

"Yeah," Jessica answered nonchalantly between sips from her water bottle.

"I wonder what was wrong with him." Sue said as she turned a page.

Jessica thought. "Now that you mention it, I'd better go check on him," She placed her water bottle back in the fridge and began to head toward the living room to put on her tennis shoes.

The phone rang and Reed stretched his arm to the cordless phone lying on the counter on the other side of the kitchen and answered it. "Hello?" All Jessica could hear was a murmur of a voice on the other end. The news caused Reed to stand up suddenly, knocking his chair over behind him. "Johnny? Is he okay?" More murmuring came from the other end. "Of course, we'll be there right away, thank you," She heard Reed say before he hung up. "Jessica!" He shouted.

Jessica ran back into the kitchen, "What is it?" She asked.

"It's Johnny," Reed said. "He was in a wreck."

"Oh no," Jessica's heart jumped into her throat.

Reed nodded. "We are all going to drive down to the hospital after-"

Before Reed had a chance to finish, Jessica was already out the door and flying down the stairs, jumping off of the last three steps of each flight. When she reached the parking garage, she got into her car as quickly as she could and started the engine. The only sound she heard was a sickly sputtering coming from the engine. It wouldn't start.

"You have got to be kidding me," Jessica exclaimed. She grunted and got out of her car, slamming the door as she left. She then ran with all her strength, faster than she knew she was capable of, all the way to the hospital.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sitting in the waiting room, a tear slid down Jessica's cheek. She was worried of what was going to happen to him. The doctors had told her that they only had to do a couple of tests, but he had been in there too long for just a couple of tests. She had been there the whole night waiting for an announcement. It was the next morning, but to Jessica it seemed that it might as well be two days later.

"Jessica Owens?" A nurse came out of the room Johnny was in.

Jessica wiped the tears from her face, "Yes?"

"He's fine. He's sleeping now, but you may go in." The nurse smiled and walked away.

A visible wave of relief washed over Jessica's face. She stood up and walked to the room that the nurse had indicated. Jessica nervously turned the cold doorknob and stepped inside. Her heart beat furiously in her chest as she tiptoed to his bedside. She sat in the chair next to the bed and watched his chest, rising and falling with each breath. She placed her hand on his, thankful for every beep of the heart monitor. She tried to scoot her chair a little bit closer, but it made a screeching noise on the tile floor. Johnny's eyes fluttered open, and he looked around before settling his eyes on Jessica.

"Well, this is a change of pace," Johnny said.

"What?" Jessica asked, confused.

"For once, you're the one waiting for me to wake up from being unconscious. For the last few days it's been the other way around," He answered with a laugh.

She couldn't help but laugh. "So, you aren't mad at me anymore?" She asked.

"What? Why would I…?"He stopped mid-sentence. He had almost forgotten, but now he remembered. His heart pounded as the memories of the previous night flooded his mind. He looked to the other side, away from her and out the window as he said, "Oh. That."

She shook her head as she placed her hand on his. "Look, Johnny, I can explain." Jessica swallowed nervously. "You heard my phone call, but I was lying. See, Claire may be my best friend, but I didn't feel like I was ready to admit to myself how I felt yet, much less another person."

He turned back to face her and wrapped his hand around her fingers. "I know. I know," Johnny said softly. "But really, I should be explaining. I was going to go tell you… well, you know, when I heard you talking to your friend. Since, you know, I was going to…" he swallowed hard. "Well, when I heard you say you didn't like me…I just… I don't know what got into me. I was such a jerk and I'm sorry. But, I mean… I'm pretty sure… I love you, Jess."

"You're pretty sure?" Jessica asked.

Johnny smiled. "No, what I meant was that I…" Then he swallowed, and began with a serious tone, "I really lo-"

A knock came on the door. "Johnny Storm?" A female voice came from the doorway. "You have been given permission to leave."

"Sweet!" Johnny exclaimed.

Jessica reluctantly followed the nurse outside so that Johnny could change and they could get back to the Baxter Building. She had butterflies in her stomach. _He almost said it… But does he mean it? _The question echoed in her mind. She wanted to believe it, but she just wasn't sure.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry it's been a while since I've updated…

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fantastic Four. *tear***

Chapter 7

Traffic was unbearable in New York City. Jessica and Johnny walked side-by-side on the crowded sidewalk. Jessica was glad that they had chosen to walk, as she saw the even more crowded streets. Johnny seemed to be wide-awake, but his red, puffy eyes revealed the amount of sleep he'd gotten the last few days, which was about five hours, total. He had insisted on walking, even though he didn't look too well after that crash.

"I'm hungry," Johnny stated.

"You just ate!" Jessica argued with a laugh.

"That wasn't food! Hospital food barely qualifies as edible," Johnny rebutted. "Oh, look, a pizza parlor!" Johnny exclaimed in mock-surprise.

"What a coincidence." Jessica laughed as Johnny grabbed her hand and pulled her into the pizza parlor. She slid into a booth by a window in the corner across from Johnny. She looked out the window for a moment before turning back, surprised to see Johnny staring at her. She dropped her gaze and was sure that she was blushing.

"Jessica?" Johnny put his hands on hers, which were clasped in front of her on the table. "About, you know, last night. I really am sorry. What I was going to say earlier is that… Well, the truth is… I… I lo-"

Johnny was interrupted by the waiter. "Hello. My name is Devon, and I'll be your server today," He pulled a little notepad out of a pocket on the front of his apron. "Can I start you all off with something to drink?" The waiter asked as he handed Jessica and Johnny a pair of menus.

"Uh… sure," Jessica began. "I'll have a Dr. Pepper."

"Is Mr. Pibb okay?" Devon asked.

Jessica thought. "Um, not really, but I guess." She answered.

"Alright, and for you, sir?" Devon said while writing down on his note pad.

"Just water would be great, thanks," Johnny said, sounding a little bit aggravated and flashing a sarcastic smile.

Devon scribbled wildly on his notepad. "Alright. Are you ready to order?"

Johnny nodded and asked him for a large cheese pizza.

"I'll be right back out with your drinks." He smiled and walked away quickly.

They sat for around twenty minutes, just continuing random conversation, when their pizza finally came.

"You know what? I'm not really all that hungry. Are you hungry?" Johnny asked, after he had eaten one piece and had taken only a few bites out of a second.

"No. Not really." Jessica answered as she shook her head.

"Oh. Okay," Johnny stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled, "Hey, Devon!" The waiter walked over to Johnny. "Can we get the ticket and a box for this?" Johnny asked him.

The waiter nodded and walked away. A few minutes later, he returned with the receipt and a box for the pizza. Johnny gave Devon his credit card as he transferred the pizza into the box. Devon gave him a receipt to sign. When Johnny was done, Devon looked at it.

"Oh my God! You're Johnny Storm!"

Johnny just nodded and smiled. He took his credit card back once Devon had swiped it and took Jessica's hand as they walked out of the Pizza Parlor, towards the Baxter Building.

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"We're back!" Johnny announced as he and Jessica walked onto Reed's floor.

"You're a little bit late! We were worried," Sue complained.

"We brought pizza," Johnny added.

"That makes up for it," Ben answered, grabbing the pizza box from Johnny's hand and eating a piece hungrily.

Johnny laughed. "Well, what are we going to do now?" He looked at Jessica, who shrugged.

"We were going to do some cleaning here soon," Sue said.

"Well in that case, I guess I should go do some… grocery shopping for a few hours," Johnny said as he began to back up toward the door. "You coming, Jessica?"

Jessica looked at Sue, who shrugged. "I guess so," she said, then followed Johnny out the door.

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Jessica and Johnny pulled out onto the streets in Jessica's car, since Johnny's was totaled. It was dark out now, but the streets of New York were still bright as day from all of the lights. Johnny drove on and on, until he was out of the city and beyond, as if he knew where he was going.

"Johnny, where are we going?" Jessica asked, a little bit worried.

"You'll see," was all he said.

He continued to drive until the city was behind them and they were driving along through a place that looked as if it had been uninhabited for as long as it had been there. Johnny finally pulled over in a field. He and Jessica stepped out of the car. She hadn't noticed how beautiful the stars were before. The field was beautiful, only lit by the moon and the stars, which you could see brightly here.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Johnny asked noticing Jessica, gazing in awe at the sky. Jessica nodded.

"What are we doing out here anyway?" Jessica asked.

"Well, it seemed that we kept being interrupted," Johnny said as he opened the trunk, pulled out a blanket, and spread it out on the grass. "So, I wanted to come somewhere I knew I could say what I needed to say."

"Okay," she smiled.

They both sat down in the grass. Jessica leaned back so she could see the stars. Johnny just stared at her.

"Well… uh... Jessica? It's just, ever since that first day I met you, there was just something special about you. I don't know. I've never felt this before. I knew there was something that first time you passed out," Johnny said that part with a smile and Jessica smiled in return. It had sort of become an inside joke between them. "I've never been so worried about a complete stranger before. I save people all the time, but no one has made me feel that concerned. You know, that entire night I didn't sleep. I don't know, but I just had to make sure you woke up. From the very beginning, I really cared about you," he paused. "After all that's happened to us these past few days... I need to tell you something. I love you. I really do, Jess… with all of my heart."

Jessica smiled and then whispered, "I love you too."

Johnny leaned over her and kissed her, and it was like nothing either of them had ever experienced.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

After that kiss all Jessica could do was sigh. _Okay… I can officially die now._ She thought, and she really felt that way.

"Jessica?" Johnny asked, his voice shaky.

"What Johnny?" Jessica answered.

He reached into his pocket and shifted over from where he was sitting to a kneeling position. Jessica silently gasped.

"Will… will you marry me?" He asked as he pulled a jewelry box out of his coat pocket and opened it to reveal a shiny diamond ring.

Jessica's mind was flooded with emotions. "I… I…" and then, of course, her phone rang. "One second," she said as she pulled out her phone from her pocket. "I should answer this," she said when she saw that it was her agent.

Johnny nodded.

She walked away as she answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Jessica. I know you're in New York, but I think I have found a role that would be good for you," Jessica's agent, Jasmine Fisher, reported.

"Um… okay." Jessica answered, still a little dazed from Johnny's proposal.

"It's at the end of this week, in L.A. You would need to come down here right away."

"Oh… I don't know," Jessica said as she looked over her shoulder at Johnny, who waved at her. "I'm really busy here-"

"This is the role that could launch your career!" Jasmine responded beginning to sound irritated.

"Can't I launch my career some other time?" Jessica asked.

"I am your agent and I only want what is best for you," She took a deep breath. "I already booked your ticket. Your flight leaves at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Just come by my office when you arrive." Jasmine paused.

Jessica rolled her eyes and was about to hang up when Jasmine began to speak again.

"Oh, and no guests. We don't need any distractions. You need to concentrate on this. Remember, it's your big break!"

"Wait! Can I…?" The line went dead with a dial tone. Jasmine had hung up on her. "Never mind." She added sarcastically.

She walked back to Johnny, who was still sitting on the ground and staring at the sky.

"Umm… Johnny? Can we get back to the Baxter Building? My agent is making me fly out to L.A. for something. Um… Is that okay?"

"I guess. When do you have to leave?" Johnny asked, still looking at the sky.

"Tomorrow morning," Jessica answered.

His head snapped toward Jessica, and then he dropped his gaze to the ground. "Alright," He nodded and cleared his throat. "Yeah, we'd better get you home so you can rest. I um…" He cleared his throat again. "I wouldn't want you to miss your flight," Johnny added, sounding disappointed though Jessica could tell he was trying to hide it.

"Yeah," Jessica replied.

Johnny picked up the blanket they had put on the ground and draped his free arm around her shoulder as they began to walk in silence back to Jessica's car. Her arms were crossed across her chest.

"Johnny, I am really sorry," She stopped, pulled out from under his arm and moved in front of him. "I shouldn't have answered my phone and I know I totally ruined the moment but my agent only calls me on my cell phone if something really important happens and so I was curious and I guess it was just instinct." Jessica said, all in one breath.

"You know… its okay," He put his arm around her again and began to lead her back to the car. "Hey," He said thoughtfully before he stopped, moved in front of Jessica and grabbed both her hands. "Are you going to answer my question?" He whispered.

"What question?" Jessica asked.

Johnny gave her a look. "Really?" He asked.

Jessica thought for a moment. "Oh! Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" She answered with a laugh.

"Jessica. That wasn't funny," Johnny said with a smile as he pulled her into another long passionate kiss. "I love you," He whispered, his lips at her ear.

"I love you too," Jessica answered.

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Once they finally arrived at the Baxter Building, Johnny and Jessica entered the elevator.

"Oh! I forgot to give you this," Johnny said awkwardly as he pulled the ring out of his pocket.

Jessica stuck out her hand for him to put the ring on.

Johnny smiled widely as he slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. They stood in silence for a moment."Oh, I was meaning to ask you," Johnny began. "What did your agent say, exactly?" Johnny asked, still holding her hand.

"She just said that I need to go to an audition. She thinks it could be my big break or something…." Jessica said with a shrug.

"Oh. Okay," Johnny said with a nod.

"She said I couldn't have any guests," Jessica said moving around to look Johnny in the eyes. "You didn't want to come, did you?" She asked.

"No, I wouldn't want to get in the way of your career," He said sarcastically.

"Hey, I would let you come if I had a say," Jessica argued, defensively.

He took a deep breath and then stage whispered, "You need a new agent," frustratedly as the elevator dinged and he quickly walked out on to Reed's floor, leaving her behind.

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Jessica sat in her bedroom, twiddling with the ring on her finger when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," She said.

The door opened and Jessica smiled when she saw Johnny's face. "Um… hi," he said. "Well, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I realized that I kind of get angry really easy... I mean, if we are gonna be married, I don't want to be like that all the time."

"Johnny, I-" Jessica began.

"No, don't say anything. Let me talk. It's just that I want to be with you. I really love you, and I don't want to be away from you. The thought of you being in LA… I mean. This is new for me."

"Are you finished?" Jessica asked.

Johnny nodded.

"Okay. Well, I've been thinking about it, and I figured you can get a plane ticket tomorrow morning-"

"How am I gonna get a ticket that short notice?" Johnny asked as he took a seat on Jessica's bed.

"You're Johnny Storm. They'll have an extra ticket."

"True." Johnny nodded.

"Anyway, you'll get your ticket tomorrow morning, and my agent won't even have to know you're there."

"Why does she care?" He wondered.

"I'm not really sure…" Jessica answered.

"I bet she saw the stories about us in those magazines and she's jealous," Johnny said with a laugh. He thought for a moment, "But there is one problem," He said seriously.

"What's that?" Jessica asked curiously.

"Won't you miss Regis and Kelly?"

Johnny and Jessica laughed and he looked at the electric alarm clock on Jessica's nightstand. "Well, I'll see you in the morning," Johnny said as he stood up from where he had sat on Jessica's bed. He gave her a light kiss on the lips before walking towards her door.

"Good night, Johnny," Jessica said as she got up and began to get ready for bed.

"Night, Jess."

He shut her door and walked to his room, where he changed into his pajamas and went to sleep for the night.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Insomnia caused Jessica to lay awake in her bed all night. She couldn't stop thinking about Johnny. After a while she decided to get up and explore the apartment. When she walked out into the living room, she saw Reed sitting on the couch. He was staring at papers and books going over calculations and other scientific stuff she could not understand.

He looked up when she walked in, "Oh. Jessica. Hi. You can't sleep either?"

"No," She shook her head. "I'm just thinking about tomorrow, I guess."

"What's tomorrow?" Reed asked curiously.

Jessica had forgotten that she hadn't told Reed or anyone but Johnny about her audition and flight to LA. "Oh, yeah. My agent called tonight while Johnny and I were out," she walked over to the couch and sat beside Reed. "She said that I need to fly back there for an audition."

"Oh. That's great. Did she say what you would be auditioning for?"

"No. But I guess I trust her. She sounded pretty excited about it."

"Oh. Well, you are going to be back in town in time for the wedding, aren't you?"

"Yes, of course," Jessica assured him. "My car will still be here, anyway," She said with a laugh.

Reed laughed and looked down at Jessica's hands, which she had clasped in her lap. He saw a flash of silver on her finger. "What's that?"

"Oh," she moved her left ring finger out of sight. "Nothing."

"Come on. I know an engagement ring when I see one. I spent months looking at them for Sue." Reed argued.

"Fine," she ended her attempt to hide the ring. "Yeah. It's a ring."

"Are you and Johnny…"

"Maybe." Jessica answered with a failed attempt to hide a smile.

Reed was less than congratulatory. "How long have you known him, Jessica?" He asked. "Three, maybe four days?" Reed said, answering his own question.

"I never thought about that," Jessica replied. "It was just so romantic… and he is so cute," she said as she bit back a smile. "I guess I just got caught in the moment." Jessica said.

"I see…." Reed nodded. "So… you're marrying him because he's cute?" Reed asked.

"Well… that's not completely it. He's really nice… and sweet… but hotness is a good plus."

Just then Johnny walked in. "I heard 'hot'. You weren't talking about me were you?" He said, sounding a little groggy.

"Hi, Johnny." Reed and Jessica said at the same time.

"So, what. Are we all nocturnal now or something?" Johnny asked.

They all laughed awkwardly and Jessica took a second glance at Reed. He had made her wonder: Were Johnny and she moving too fast?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Johnny and Jessica sat side by side in the waiting area of the airport. Neither of them could think of anything to say, so they sat in silence. Jessica fiddled with her ring nervously and Johnny traced circles on the knee of his jeans with his finger. Jessica just couldn't stop thinking about what Reed had said that night.

"Johnny, do you think we're going too fast?" Jessica suddenly asked.

"What?" Johnny was confused. He hadn't been expecting her to say anything like that.

"Johnny, we've only known each other for, like, four days. We haven't even gone on an official date yet. Are we ready for this?" Jessica asked hurriedly.

"I am," he said. "Jessica, I love you. And I want to be with you."

"I… I know you do, Johnny. And I love you too. But I think we should take this a little slower."

"Are you saying that you don't want to marry me?" He asked with an upset look in his eyes.

"Well, I guess I am. I… I mean not yet," Jessica said.

Johnny nodded, "I guess your right."

"Um… okay. Well-" Jessica was cut off by the announcement that her flight was boarding.

"You had better get going," He said.

"Yeah," Jessica agreed.

He pulled her into a hug. He wanted to kiss her, but decided against it. He wanted to go with her, but he kind of wanted to be alone to think. He was confused.

They announced a last warning for the boarding of Jessica's flight. Johnny let go of her and gave her the bag she had packed.

She began to walk away, and when Johnny didn't follow, she asked, "Aren't you coming?"

Johnny shook his head.

"Oh… Well, then…" she began to look sad, but quickly stopped and stage whispered, "Bye." She smiled.

Johnny didn't answer; he only gave her a fake-looking, forced smile. As she walked away, he stared after her, mentally kicking himself for not going with her. Then, something strange happened. She had just disappeared around a bend in the hall, when he got a sudden feeling that Jessica shouldn't go on the plane.

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As Jessica walked away from Johnny, she instinctively began twisting the ring around her finger again and realized that she had kept the ring, though she had told him that she wouldn't marry him. So, she slipped it off her finger and placed it loosely in her jacket pocket. As she boarded the plane, she superstitiously stopped to place her right foot on the ramp before her left.

Jessica scanned the seats for an open one. She chose one next to a man who looked close to her age. He already had his laptop out, and he was typing away. She placed her small carry-on bag in the overhead compartment, but not before pulling out her book and her iPod.

He let her have the window seat and once she had sat down, she opened her book but didn't read it. She turned to look out the window, and all she could do was think about Johnny. She almost wished that he would come after her. He hadn't gotten angry, and he hadn't even asked her for an explanation. It didn't seem right to her. The stewardess came on the intercom and gave her normal speech about safety and emergency procedures.

The plane took off and Jessica looked out the window towards the airport and was almost positive she saw Johnny's figure watching her plane depart from a window.

Once the plane was in the air, Jessica fell asleep, the only way she could think of to escape from her confused emotions. It didn't work. He even invaded her dreams. They had only been apart for a few minutes, but she already desperately missed him.

She wanted to tell him she had changed her mind. However, when she was woken up, she realized that she might never get to tell him the truth.

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Johnny stood by the window and watched Jessica's flight fade into the horizon. Once it was out of sight, he picked up his bag which he had packed planning on going with Jessica, and walked back out to her car which they had driven here.

_I should have gone after her. _He thought. _Oh well, it's too late now. _ He told himself.

He drove back to the Baxter Building, constantly torturing himself, wondering what he did wrong to lose Jessica like that.

Once he reached the Baxter Building, he went to Reed's apartment and slumped into the couch. He was so busy moping that he didn't notice when Ben Grimm walked in through the doorway.

"Whoa," Ben said, obviously surprised by Johnny's depressed state. "What happened to you, Hot Head?" He asked.

Sue followed Ben into the room and asked, "Weren't you supposed to leave with Jessica?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to be alone," he answered.

She started to continue walking to the lab, but then stopped. "Wait. You want to be alone?" Sue said. "What happened?"

Johnny sighed, "Jessica doesn't want to marry me anymore."

It was at this point in the conversation that Reed entered the room.

"Wait. You and Jessica were engaged?" Ben asked in a confused voice.

"You can't really call it an engagement," Johnny said. "It didn't even last for twenty-four hours."

"Well, what can you expect?" Reed began. "You haven't even known each other for one week. You should probably wait a while-"

Johnny cut him off, "_You _told her that?" Johnny asked angrily. His hand burst into flame. "I finally found one girl that I love, and _you're _the one that screws it up?" He was preparing to send a ball of flame in Reed's direction, when Sue created a force field around Johnny, preventing him from doing anything drastic.

"Okay, Johnny. Cut it out," Sue said with just the right tone of authority. "Do you really care about her that much?" She asked.

The flame on his hand turned out. "Yes," Johnny said, as if that was a stupid question.

She dropped her force field and added tenderly, "Then go after her."

"Go after her?" Johnny asked.

"Go find her. Meet her at he airport," Reed said.

"Or in the air," Ben added.

"In the air," Johnny whispered to himself. "Can I take the _Fantasticar_?" Johnny asked.

"The keys are in the ignition," Reed said.

Johnny smiled widely as he grabbed his bag he had packed before and ran to the roof, where the _Fantastica_r was parked. He started it up and grinned at the sound of the roaring engine. However, it was quickly wiped off his face when he got the sudden feeling that something just wasn't right.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Johnny's POV

I flew the _Fantasticar_ as fast as it would go. And, luckily, I got there just in time. Just in time to watch Jessica's plane plummet to the ground.

It crashed.

Jessica's plane crashed.

I flew down to where the plane had landed. So many bodies… dead bodies… people I could have saved. If only I had gotten there a few moments earlier, I could have done something. But that was the past now. I had to find Jessica.

"Jessica?" I shouted desperately.

My cry was met by soft whimpers from under a large piece of debris. Jessica was lying there. Her femur looked as if it had been snapped in half. She had severe burns all over her body. Her beautiful was matted and bloody. Every one of her labored breaths looked as if they caused her pain. But, she was still breathing. Barely.

I picked her up gently and carried her away from the plane, I was so afraid that I would hurt her even more.

"Johnny." She gasped.

"I'm here," I said. "Stay with me."

"I… I can't."

"Yes you can. I'm taking you to the hospital," A tear rolled out of my eye as I ran to the _Fantasticar_ with her in my arms. Once there, I sped off faster than I knew the _Fantasticar_ could go.

"Johnny… Johnny," She kept saying lightly, as if it pained her to even whisper my name.

"I'm right here," I said, grabbing to hold the one of her hands that wasn't severely burned. I held it all the way to the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital, I got Jessica into the Emergency Room right away. After a long time sitting in the sickeningly sterile waiting room, the doctor came out of a room.

He hung his stethoscope around his neck as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, son," he said.

I waited a moment for him to go on, "What?"

"She's dying," he paused. "We've tried everything. There's nothing else we can do," He shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry."

Tears flowed from my eyes for the first time since… I don't know how long.

The doctor sighed and motioned to the door he had exited from. "You can go in and see her if you want."

I quickly stood up and pushed past the doctor to enter the room. Inside, I could hear her hard, labored breaths. I walked over to her and lightly held her hand, afraid that I might break her. Her eyes barely fluttered open, just slits.

"Johnny," she said.

"Shh," I shushed her quietly, my thumb stroking the top of her hand.

"Please let me talk," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I shook my head, "Save your breath."

"Am I dying, Johnny?" She asked.

"How am I supposed to answer that?" I asked.

She stared at me pleadingly.

"No," I said. "You're going to make it. And then we're going to go on like none of this ever happened." My voice broke from trying to hold back tears.

Her eyes began to close.

"Jessica. No. No. You have to stay with me," I couldn't control myself anymore.

"I love you, Johnny," she whispered.

"I love you, too." I answered. But, her eyes continued to close. "No." Her grip became looser on my hand. "No." I said again, a little louder. "No!" I yelled. Jessica's beeping heart monitor machine held out a long tone.

I ran out to the hallway. "Help! Doctor!"

Three or four nurses ran into the room. They began defibrillation, and one of them pushed me out of the room. All I could do was sit and wait.

I hate waiting.

But I did… and I cried like a baby when the doctor came out and told me the result.

*****

I was still slightly in shock when I put on my black suit. I didn't really want to wear the bow tie, but Jessica had picked out when we had gone shopping once.

I began to struggle with the bow tie when I said, "I still don't believe it," to Reed and Ben, who were in the room with me.

Reed nodded as he patted me on the back. "We're all in shock," He took the bow tie from my hands and put it on for me as I wiped my face with my hands.

A knock came on the door and Sue entered. "Come on, guys. It's time," She said quickly before exiting again.

I shook my head. "I don't think I can do it."

"Come on," Reed said. "Didn't you say you loved her?"

"Yeah," I sighed.

Ben nodded. "Then let's go."

I walked slowly toward the sanctuary where they were having the ceremony with my hands in my pockets. When I entered, I knew all eyes were on me. It was kind of disconcerting.

They brought her in slowly and I didn't get a good look at her until she was at the front, where I was standing. She looked a little bit pale, but there was no evidence of the accident she had just had. Whoever had done her makeup had done a good job. She looked beautiful.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two people in holy matrimony," the pastor began.

Her white dress was beautiful, but not as beautiful as her smile. God, I love her.

The "traditional" ceremony continued. It was exactly how she wanted it to be, but it didn't exactly fit my taste. I would have rather walked out as husband and wife to _The Imperial March_ from _Star Wars_ or something, instead of that classical stuff. But, Jessica picked out the music. Yeah, it was traditional, and yeah, I didn't like the music. But after all the stuff that's happened, I'm happy to be marrying Jessica at all.

I honestly don't remember all that much about the ceremony at all. I know we both said, "I do", but that's pretty much it.

The reception was… interesting. Lots of dancing. Lots of pictures. Lots of food. But I was with Jessica the whole time.

And now I know, I'll be with Jessica until I die.

**A/N: The end. ****You thought it was her funeral at first, didn't you? Well, my sister did when she read it, so if you didn't, don't be afraid to tell me. Don't be afraid to say, "**_**You suck! Your ending sucks! …You suck!" **_**either. Please Review!! **


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